Callous and cruel: Use of force against inmates with mental disabilities in US jails and prisons (May 2015)

15th May 2015

Callous and cruel: Use of force against inmates with mental disabilities in US jails and prisons (May 2015)

This 127-page Human Rights Watch report details incidents in which correctional staff have deluged prisoners with painful chemical sprays, shocked them with powerful electric stun weapons, and strapped them for days in restraining chairs or beds. Staff have broken prisoners’ jaws, noses, ribs; left them with lacerations requiring stitches, second-degree burns, deep bruises, and damaged internal organs. In some cases, the force used has led to their death.